intro to wine - mike clapson

Wine...the healthiest and most health-giving of drinks

- Louis Pasteur

Thursday, 23 May, 13

Why do I like wine?

• great for ALL occasions

• huge variety

• subtleties

• always more to learn

• blind tasting!

Thursday, 23 May, 13

Tasting & Evaluating

1. Appearance

2. Nose

3. Palate

Thursday, 23 May, 13

Appearance

• Clarity

• Intensity

• Colour

Thursday, 23 May, 13

Nose

• Condition

• Intensity

• Aroma Characteristics

Thursday, 23 May, 13

Palate

• Sweetness

• Acidity

• Tannin

• Body

• Flavour Characteristics

• Finish

Thursday, 23 May, 13

Thursday, 23 May, 13

What makes a wine truly exceptional?

• Balance

• Complexity

• Intensity

• Length

• Expressiveness

Thursday, 23 May, 13

Noble White Varietals

• Chardonnay

• Sauvignon Blanc

• Riesling

Thursday, 23 May, 13

Sauvignon Blanc

• Great all on its own or with seafood

• Herbaceous (asparagus / cut grass)

• Green fruit (green apple, pear)

• High acidity, light body

• NZ & Chile (Great deals from Chile!)

Thursday, 23 May, 13

Noble Red Varietals

• Pinot Noir

• Cabernet Sauvignon

• Merlot

• Syrah / Shiraz

Thursday, 23 May, 13

Shiraz

• Great with BBQ meats!

• Spice, black cherries, chocolate flavors

• Medium acid and high tannin

• Australia really does them best!

• BC is very good (Try Burrowing Owl)

Thursday, 23 May, 13

Value Wines (ie Cheap)

• Portugal: Vino Verde - white, high acid, crisp

• Chile: Carmenere - deep ruby, full bodied, big blackberry flavours

• Argentina: Torrontes - white, fruity & floral, medium to full body

Thursday, 23 May, 13

Fun Facts• Champagne is made from Chardonnay,

Pinot Noir & Pinot Meunier ... yes there are black grapes in it!

• Most wines don’t improve with age, so drink up :)

• Old World wines usually don’t have the varietal on the label :(

• BC wines are world class - both reds and whites. Try ‘em out!

Thursday, 23 May, 13

Q&A

Thursday, 23 May, 13